Twas nearing the end of the year and not a thing was stirring, except for us band of crazees at The Flying Moa! We ended the year right by playing a moderately busy night with good drink specials and just the hint of summer around the corner. Yes, no jackets required.

Reflecting on the past year, we just want to take a minute to thank everyone for supporting us and for all the pubs who have had us play. We wish you all the best for the coming year!

We played some pub shows that were packed to the rafters, and other private events that showed it’s not just the pubs that can get into it.

Some highlights for 2012:

• We are playing a wedding on Waiheke Island, and are getting more enquiries so please give a shout quick for your next wedding or special event
• We are a band-in-residence every other Friday at the Moa for the near future so there’s no excuse now not to plan ahead and come catch a SugarBang show

From New Zealand’s Sweetest Covers Band, peace out! (See you at the Moa this Friday, ha).

We have to keep up our rep as New Zealand’s Sweetest Covers Band, and we go out there every night and give it our all, and sometimes it all pays off. But we had no idea what was in store for us later on this night.

Rugby World Cup is long gone but this was to be one of the first gigs after the All Blacks dramatic win over France.

It started out pretty bog standard really, we set up our new lights (sweet!) and PA gear and all that jazz and broke right into the usual set of relaxed tunes working into the post-dinner rocking numbers like our new Tom Petty/Red Hot Chili Peppers mashup.

Then it happened. The dance floor got JAMMED full of people! Very cool. See, the Moa is doing this right, after happy hour the tables and chairs get pushed back and the lights turned down low so people are less anxious about dancing. Dancing’s tough when you’re not tipsy and it’s bright as day.

So from about 1030pm onward the night was something special. Are you coming out tonight at Flying Moa? We hope so, because you never know what might happen.

The Flying Moa is in a great location, on Lunn Avenue near St. Johns Road and the New World and Mitre10 megastores, but don’t let the location fool you – The Moa does not mass produce much of anything.

Great food (try the fush and chups!) and beer on tap.

On this particular Friday we rocked the Moa, the sun stayed up a bit later, people were wearing less in the way of jackets and sweaters, and it just generally felt more like spring time. Rugby World Cup is now finished (yay All Blacks win by one point, 8-7!) but there’s a big void there where the All Blacks used to be. Now it’s all about waiting for Cricket to start. Hm.

We played the usual set but mixed in a few new tunes. We’re considering adding the smoke machine back into the show but for now the lights and our sparkling personalities will have to do.

The setlist was leaning a lot toward the classic rock angle, but some more fun was had with “I’m Yours”, “Lazy Song” and “Teenage Dream”.

Not only do we play pubs and clubs but we play weddings and corporate events too. We are now listing the band on local NZ directories, one of the most well known is Find a Band. Check it out!

Have any requests? Leave them in the comments!

First off, a big SugarBang thank you to all the Facebook fans who showed up to our gig this last Friday! Love seeing Facebook work wonders and do its thing.

We also advertise gigs on Mukuna Gig Guide and Eventfinder so check them out for any of our future gigs. Of course we’ll update the Facebook events page weekly so just “Fan” us and you’ll never miss a gig.

We banged through a more classic rock set, lots of people were wearing black this night, and we unveiled “Another One Bites The Dust” by Queen; what a rocking tune! We don’t play any songs that don’t feel right, and this song is staying in the setlist.

One of my good friends might want us to play her birthday party; will keep you posted on how this goes! Birthday parties and weddings are so festive we love playing these especially.

See you back at The Flying Moa on the 28th of October! Signed, New Zealand’s Sweetest Covers Band, SugarBang.

Sugarbang at the Flying Moa 16-Sep-2011

Gigs on rugby nights always start with an early set up and a really fun build up as we all wait for the game to start. Now that Rugby World Cup is well and truly underway the energy is palpable and just fun to be around!

All Blacks faced Japan and while it was never a close game Japan kept the All Blacks under 100 points, a feat in and of itself. Sonny Bill Managed to keep his jersey on, much to the chagrin of the female fans at the Moa.

The Flying Moa always treats us well with amazing food and great people. Many thanks again to my friend Mark who brought his friends down again and it wasn’t even a birthday this time around.

We had two tight sets and we played a ton of favourites, but some highlights were people dancing to I Will Survive and Rain and watching the New Zealand Warriors pull out a victory over the West Tigers by the length of an arm. What a game!

Friendly staff are always there to get you what you need, and I had the fish and chips and they actually are outstanding. Sure, anyone can fry some fish and a few potaters but the Moa manages to do it with a bit more flavour than you get at the average shop in the hood.

Come on down again in two weeks when we’ll be at the Moa for more fun!